VC, it’s so horrific that just reading about it makes you feel as if you’ve been punched in the stomach. The various police apparatus of Ferguson, St. Louis County and the state of Missouri have declared all out war on the inhabitants of one town. They don’t care about civil rights, international outrage or consequences. They simply want to silence and oppress the population so that one police man can get away with murder. It seems everyone in the chain of command, from the governor to the cop on the beat, is complicit in the game goal–shut ’em up and lock’ em up.

Morning, JackieG, and thanks for recap! I caught glimpses on the last thread, but the ‘punched in the stomach’ feeling is why I can’t watch in detail. It seems so surreal that citizens of the U.S. are faced with such blatant oppression and disgusting responses because they ask for something to which they are entitled – answers for an execution.

Yes. But could/would justice be had in the midst of the predictable MSM 24hr hype-on-a-loop that would likely result from wholesale arrest of the whole gang of leaders? Somehow I don’t think so. It might look good for a day or two to those who say ‘Do something’, but I suspect it would create great chaos there and elsewhere. I’m hoping out of all this comes more meaningful, long term ‘justice’ – somewhat like demise of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

No doubt, but IMO it would by then have lost SOME of its potential to ignite violent reactions on the part of the military wannabees and the far left purity critics. Especially, if in the meantime there’s been good, solid, unbiased movement in the case of #DarrenWilson.

Tn, that was the question of the day and I wish I had the answer. I’m hoping that at the very least, the DOJ can bring lawsuit after lawsuit down on the Ferguson police. Congress would have to act on demilitarizing the police, but what chance does that have with Boehner as Speaker? It would be great if the FBI captured the policeman and stuck him in a cell. I don’t know what happens if the rigged Grand Jury refused to indict him.

Morning all. When AG Holder meets with the various principals on Wednesday, as President Obama said in his statement, I hope he makes clear how many violations of the Constitution and Civil Rights laws have been going on and what lawsuits are even now in the works. I want to see these military wannabes slammed with so many lawsuits they will go bankrupt trying to fight them. I hope he also announces that the FBI has apprehended and incarcerated the murdering policeman and put him in a federal cell. Now is not the time for polite words and diplomatic negotiations, it’s time to lower the boom. PBO said he was watching to see what Nixon was going to do with the National Guard. It’s obvious he is misusing them and making them complicit in the police war on the population. Time to give Nixon’s chain a very hard yank. Nixon, like many before him, will learn that you do not mess with this President.

I read it and TY for the list, hf.
It will be difficult for me to be patient.
My daughter, grandson and grandaughter (the Deerslayer) live nearby. My daughter and her friends know Michael Brown’s mother. Not well but to say “hello” to.
I’ve recommended that daughter and her friends find some time to do voter registration in Ferguson as a way to bring light to this horrific place in American history.

I think another frustration with the Ferguson residents is that they are trying to police themselves. Fact is, they would probably be more effective in doing so if they were allowed to do so; in essence, being treated as children. Instead, they are basically being told that they don’t have the ability, skill, sense, and discipline to do so. Moreover, by bringing in the state police and the national guard and allowing the FPD to continue their rogue behavior, the control that the citizens have been able to achieve with their self-policing is being overshadowed by the anger and disorder that the police are inciting.

Funny you should add *cohorts*. I, in my cynical, conspiracy theory mode, have speculated that there is some corruption and collusion going on between the FPD, city council, county prosecutor, and mayor (have we heard anything from any of these people?) that goes beyond civil rights violations. With reports about funding the city’s coffers via targeting and ticketing black residents in traffic stops, you have to wonder what else is going on. Officer Wilson may have opened a can of worms that the City of Ferguson does not want to be examined too closely.

‘Officer Wilson may have opened a can of worms that the City of Ferguson does not want to be examined too closely.’

I do think this, SW. In fact I hinted at it somewhere yesterday. What is it #Ferguson is trying to hide that they would move with such concerted effort and such consistent determination to whitewash Officer Darren Wilson’s reprehensible conduct? I could accept their standing BEHIND HIM AS HE FACED what he has done. I wouldn’t be happy with them because I’m clearly of the opinion he went too, too far, but I could understand that they needed to stand with him. What they have been doing however, is highly suspect and doesn’t seem like a ‘normal’ support of an officer to me.

I saw a little bit of what happened last night on live feeds, but I went to bed before the trouble started.

I take a slightly different view. The crowd was controlling themselves find until the Ferguson PD showed up and formed a line blocking further progress down the street. An officer on a blow-horn told the protesters to get out of the street and to get moving or else they were subject to arrest. They also kept telling the press the go back to the “press area.” At first, the press stood with their cameras and recorders between the police and the protestors in the roadway. However, when some of the community organizers (with blow-horns) told them and the protestors for follow the police order to get out of the roadway, the press and the majority of the protestors compiled. But, even as this was going on, the police used these ear-deafening sirens to try to get the protesters and the press to leave. They did this several times, but to no avail.

For a long time, no much happened, although I saw 2 instances where teams of police would go into the crowd and arrest individual protestors and this was despite the fact that these protestors were no where near the police line. Eventually, more and more protesters started to go on home their own. When I stopped watching the live-feed, the crowd was considerably lighter. So, I don’t understand why the Ferguson PD ended up shooting tear gas and arresting people.

To me, it was clear that Ferguson PD was looking for a fight. They were pissed out that 1) the crowd never went completely nuts when they first showed up. They remained peaceful. 2) People still weren’t following their “orders,” especially the press, and 3) they had to make the “first punch.”

Although I think you’re right that the Ferguson residents are being treated like children; what I saw on the live-feed were the Ferguson PD acting like kids who couldn’t wait to use their “toys.” What these vicious idiots don’t realize is that most of what happened has been documented and whatever narrative they want to try and create won’t completely stick. Only the right-wing nutters will buy it hook, line and sinker.

And I’m totally pissed off by the Wall Street Journal headline, calling the protesters militants. The protesters were unarmed, so how could they be called militants? It was the police who had all the guns and weapons.

“…Ferguson PD acting like kids who couldn’t wait to use their “toys….”

Most definitely, nabsentia23, which is one of the problems with FPD (and local police departments in general) having these military grade weapons…lack of training and lack of discretion as to when these weapons should be used.

In the case of FPD though, this is a bullying tactic aimed at trying to take the focus away from them and their cover-up.

Vc, send him the link to the 50 Thank Yous in the sidebar. Snce he loves to count. There are way more than 50 masterful accomplishments since that was compiled. Perhaps Count VonK will add to the list?!

Two heads are better than one, for sure, MP. I never thought of that! TY. I will keep it in the back of my mind for the next time he says something dumb. [As our convo is over, don’t want to poke at him again today lest he thinks I’m looking for attention.]

Who knows? I would rather attempt to steer him away from food and number of golf games. To me it’s sad that Knoller would think it’s a good bargain for him to perseverate on these bits of non-information.

Yeah, but we know that it’s not so much about reporting what the President does as much as it is trying to embarrass him by making it seems that he is often out “playing” when he should be working. Counting golf dates, number of vacation days, where he eats and what he eats, what he’s wearing when he’s sitting in the oval office… but zilch about his accomplishments.

Yes, *we* know. I like to think that in politely letting Knoller know we know, we *might* nudge him to be a bit more responsible in his use of his privileged placement – at least somewhat more often than he’s been doing. That’s actually not a big goal. ;)

You mean to tell me that bc this president doesn’t go to Ferguson Mo and scream at the police, that the far left is hating on him?
You have got to be kidding me?
Just like the oil spill, when this president was supposed to go ten thousand feet underwater himself, hold his breath and plug the fucking hole with clay.
The far left can suck it!
I feel so bad for the president, always have!!

Well, I believe I just heard Joy Reed, for example, say that the president hasn’t embraced the theatrics of the presidency. That the public wants to see him get emotional.
This is far right talking points… What is she talking about?

Any and every opportunity to show their dearth of spirit, Jovie, and to reveal, yet again, their innate ugliness. It’s not human, tho they wear human form. IMO, this is the program Satan (if one considers such) triumphs in propagating.

The region’s fragmentation isn’t limited to the odd case of a city shedding its county. St. Louis County contains 90 municipalities, most with their own city hall and police force. Many rely on revenue generated from traffic tickets and related fines. According to a study by the St. Louis nonprofit Better Together, Ferguson receives nearly one-quarter of its revenue from court fees; for some surrounding towns it approaches 50 percent.

Municipal reliance on revenue generated from traffic stops adds pressure to make more of them. One town, Sycamore Hills, has stationed a radar-gun-wielding police officer on its 250-foot northbound stretch of Interstate.

With primarily white police forces that rely disproportionately on traffic citation revenue, blacks are pulled over, cited and arrested in numbers far exceeding their population share, according to a recent report from Missouri’s attorney general. In Ferguson last year, 86 percent of stops, 92 percent of searches and 93 percent of arrests were of black people — despite the fact that police officers were far less likely to find contraband on black drivers (22 percent versus 34 percent of whites). This worsens inequality, as struggling blacks do more to fund local government than relatively affluent whites.

SO…making arrests and fining its residents are HOW FERGUSON POLICE MAKE THEIR MONEY! This is unjust and needs to stop…they have every incentive to arrest and fine people, and no incentive to work with the community…take it a step further, and notice (as we all have now!) that this dept force is mostly white and doesn’t live in or have roots in the community they police…TOXIC!